Danny Coyne leaves Tranmere Rovers for Middlesbrough

Jul 8 2009 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

TRANMERE must find a new goalkeeper for the forthcoming season after Danny Coyne left Prenton Park to join Middlesbrough.

The 35-year-old Wales international signed a two-year contract with the Championship club yesterday and will be competing with Brad Jones and England Under-19 international Jason Steele for the number one spot at the Riverside Stadium.

Rovers had offered Coyne terms to stay on. He was two years into a second spell with Tranmere, where he began his playing career as a trainee in the early 1990s.

But the prospect of a return to Championship level – and doubtless more attractive personal terms than Tranmere could afford to offer – persuaded Coyne to accept Gareth Southgate's invitation to move to the north east.

Coyne said: "Leaving Tranmere was a hard decision but joining Boro was a no-brainer.

"I came up, met the manager and goalkeeping coach, Stephen Pears, saw the training facilities and made my mind up.

"Gareth has told us he wants us to win the Championship to get the club back into the Premier League. I have played most of my career in the Championship so I know it very well and I think we have every chance of going up.

"I feel as fit as I’ve ever been, so I’m coming here to push Brad Jones for a first-team place and do all I can to contribute towards us winning promotion.”

Prestatyn-born Coyne, who boasts 16 full caps for Wales, has made more than 500 appearances in a career that also took him to Grimsby, Leicester and Burnley.

He made over 200 of those appearances in two spells with Tranmere, together with a similar number for Grimsby.

Coyne enjoyed an outstanding season with Tranmere in 2008/09, helping Ronnie Moore's team to finish within one place of the League One play-offs.

The Welshman's 20 clean sheets earned him the Golden Gloves award for the division and alerted Boro manager Southgate.

Southgate said: "Danny was probably the best goalkeeper in League One last season. He is an excellent goalkeeper who will push for a first-team place this season. We felt we needed an experienced goalkeeper to challenge Brad and Jason.

“Danny has played at the highest level with Wales and has great experience.

“He is the right type of character in that he is very professional, trains well and has a real hunger to claim the No 1 spot."

Coyne's departure won't have come as a surprise to the new Tranmere management team of John Barnes and Jason McAteer. He is the fourth out of half a dozen players who were offered new terms by Rovers at the end of last season to move to another club.

Last week Steve Jennings signed for Scottish Premier League outfit Motherwell. Fellow midfielder Antony Kay joined Huddersfield and Ben Chorley return to his native south east to join Leyton Orient.

However, Rovers do have a big goalkeeping void to fill in the next few weeks because last season's number two, John Achterberg, also left the club, to take up a goalkeeping coaching role with Liverpool.

Barnes and McAteer say they have signings lined up and won't be rushed. Last week Ian Moore, the son of previous manager Ronnie Moore, agreed a new two-year deal to stay at Prenton Park, becoming the duo's first signing.

McAteer added: "I can’t speak highly enough of the attitude of Ian Moore. You could understand why, in the circumstances, he might want to leave this club.

“But he came into the office and told us of his commitment to Tranmere and how he wanted to work with us. I can't speak too highly of that."